Crimson Echo (43 page)

“
We have to fix it. You have to convince Sabrina give it another try.”

Sabrina smiled as she
walked toward me and threw her arms around me. “You don’t have to convince us of anything, Tristan. And you certainly don’t need to worry about anything. What Jackson and Illyria did has nothing to do with you. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. We should have protected you better. If anyone is to blame here it’s us. As for the wedding, we’ve decided to reschedule it for this weekend. I got so wrapped up in all of the planning that I forgot what was important and that’s family. We’re just having a low key ceremony this time. I still need a maid of honor if you’re feeling up to it.”

“I would be honored… again
.” I laughed.

“Good, it’s settled.”  She beamed
. She hugged me again then took Stefan by the hand and led him out the front door. “We’ve got some things to take care of, be back soon.”

“Come on,” Kane pulled me by the waist until my feet touched the floor. “I’ve got something special to show you.”

“What?” I eyed him suspiciously.

“If you want to know, you’ll just have to follow me.” He gave me a pleading smile.

            I took his hand and followed him through the house and out onto the back patio where we stood for a moment. He embraced me and kissed my forehead before dragging me through the backyard. We walked on a dirt path for what seemed like miles and he checked on me several times to make sure I was okay.

            Kane held my hand the entire time. We took our time and enjoyed the night air. It felt nice to slow down for once. Ever since the day I had met Kane I felt like I was racing through life, so I decided to really take in the moment.
We ducked through the apple orchard and I knew we were close to the edge of their vast acreage. Then old, red stables came into view, but I still couldn’t figure out where he was taking me.

“You can see the stars the best from here.
” He sat down in the grass and pulled me down to him.

I
shuddered as he stroked my arm.

“It’s a full moon tonight.” He whispered into my hair.

“It’s beautiful.” Though, as usual it paled in comparison to Kane—nothing could hold a candle to him. I laid my head against his chest and listened to his steady breathing. Lying under the light of the moon he looked like an angel that had fallen straight from Heaven and into my life—something I would always be grateful for.

He pulled my chin up
so he could look me in the eyes. “No, you’re the one that’s beautiful.” He smiled.

I looked away and hid my burning cheeks.

“You don’t believe that to be true, do you?” He asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

I didn’t answer.

“That’s what I thought. I guess I’ll just have to prove it to you, won’t I?” He untangled himself from around me and rolled onto his knees.

          
He leaned forward and brushed my jaw with his warm lips. My heart raced in my chest and pounded in my ears. I pleaded internally for his lips to make contact with mine. I tried to quiet my breathing for fear it would give me away, but it was hopeless. He smiled as his hands tangled in the back of my hair and then his lips brushed my neck.

          
Butterflies beat at my ribcage as his lips inched closer to mine. I was certain that if he didn’t kiss me soon I would implode. His fingers traced circles in my back and it felt like he was branding me, but I wouldn’t stop him until he kissed me. The anticipation was more then I could take, so I took matters into my own hands. I pulled on the back of his neck, causing his lips to smash against mine.

            Kane kissed me with fervor this time. He didn’t seem inhibited by his usual self control. I pulled him on top of me and continued to kiss him under the stars. I wrapped my arms around his
neck and drew him in closer after I realized that he was letting me take control for once. And then I felt him hesitate. His eyes searched mine as he pulled away.

“What is i
t?” I questioned, embarrassed by my obvious lack of self control. “Did I do something wrong?”

“
No!” He blanched. “It’s not you. You were perfect in every way.”

“Then what is it?” I smelt my breath, trying to remember how long it had been since I had bru
shed my teeth. I counted the hours back to the morning of the wedding.

“I’m trying not to set any fires.” He said through pressed lips.

“Oh.” I understood his cryptic meaning.

“Just give me a second.
I’ve almost got the hang of this.” He breathed.

           
Considering the last time he kissed me with this much passion he burst into flames. I sat there with my hands locked in place while he got himself under control. It was still hard to believe that I could evoke such a reaction from him. Seconds later he was peeking up at me from behind his thick lashes.

“I’m terribly sorry about that.” He frowned.

“I have that same affect on all the boys.” I giggled, trying desperately to lighten the mood.

           
He exploded with laughter and pulled me on top of him as he lay back down in the grass. I reached up and stroked his lips—too eager to have him kiss me again. He sucked in a heavy swell of air and cradled my face in his hands. His smell was intoxicating. I soaked it in and catalogued it in my brain as my favorite scent.

           
Pulling me up until my face was parallel to his, he closed his eyes and parted his lips—they weren’t as warm as before, yet still smoldering. Then he kissed me. I forgot to breathe and a gasp of air hitched in the back of my throat. He didn’t notice. He rolled us both over in the dew covered grass until he was hovering over top of me again.

          
I pulled him closer to me, wrapping my arms around him and letting my hands cling to the hair at the back of his neck. We continued on with a series of tender little kisses until we were both left breathless. Pulling away to catch his breath, he rolled off of me and sat back on his elbows. His smile was bigger than I had ever seen.

“Was it happening again?” I broke the silence.

“No, it’s getting a lot easier to manage.” He admitted.

“Kane,” I whispered. “
You didn’t go up in flames, that’s a good thing. That’s something to be proud of!”

“It’s best to err on the side of caution…for now at least.” He scowled, pulling me into his arms.

“I wish you could be happy and let go, just for a little while.” I frowned.

“Tristan, what makes you think I’m not happy? I have everything I could ever want.” He squeezed me tighte
r. “I’m the happiest…man alive.”

“
Can we just be thankful that the worst is behind us?” I shot back.

“I don’t even want to think of what could’ve happened…” His body became rigid.

“That’s not what I was…”
He cut me off.

“I'm just glad you’re alive…I would never be able to forgive myself…” He trailed off.

“So, about this surprise?” I changed the subject.

“I almost forgot. I was so overwhelmed by your radiance in the moonlight, I got sidetracked.”
He stood, holding his hand out to help me to my feet.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.” He smiled.

          
We walked a little ways until we reached the old, red barn. He opened up the big double doors and waved me in. The room exploded in a brilliant white light, it was so bright it looked like daylight—it was all I could see. Thousands of tiny tea light candles covered every surface of the barn and sparkling lights hung from the rafters—I assumed they were recycled from the wedding.

“What is this Kane?”

“It’s called romance,” he laughed, like it should be obvious. “I thought it would be nice to get out of the manor for awhile, I was getting stir-crazy.”

“I love it, it’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me.” I threw my arms around his neck and froze
when I realized that I may have just triggered his abilities again, but it didn’t seem to bother him. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me to the middle of the room where some kind of covered box sat.

“I’m sorry it’s not more, I was a little pressed for time.” He yanked the sheet revealing a large makeshift table made of square hay bale.

          Assembled in a well thought out arrangement, there was a bouquet of yellow roses, a large bowl of salad, goblets and a pitcher of iced tea. Towards the opposite end of the table I noticed a dish of mashed potatoes, with a gravy boat beside it and a large tray of chicken tenders. I thought it was an odd choice for him to serve this kind of food, but I was starving.

           
I expected something flashier from him, but at the same time I was glad it wasn’t. I was sure caviar, shrimp cocktails, wine and cheese or maybe even squid would be on the menu. Two large, glass candle holders with white candles were placed in the middle of the table to add to the romantic feel. He leaned forward, sparking a small flame from the tip of his finger and lit the candles.

“I saw you eating chicken tenders in the cafeteria and decided I would stick with something safe.” He explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Ah,” I laughed. “Well, they are my favorite.”

“Have a seat, pull up some hay.” He joked as he sat down on a bale.

“This is amazing, I can’t believe you did all of this.” I smiled widely at him as I poured myself a glass of iced tea.

“What’s romance
without a little magic?”

“I love when you use your magic.” I murmured.

“Do you remember that book that you were reaching for that first day at Emporia?” He asked.

“Yes I remember, why?”

“Do you still wish you could go into that story?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I have the real thing right here.”

He took my hand and smiled at me.

“Do you still stand by what you said about me not surviving in a magical world?”
I asked.

“It appears that I was wrong. Though you only narrowly escaped death, but I guess I will give that one to you.”

“Thank you for saving me… again.” I said after remembering that I hadn’t even thanked him for saving my life.

            For most of the meal we ate in silence. I was a little embarrassed by my lack of manners as I devoured as much food as I could— I was too hungry to keep up with social etiquette at that point. I hadn’t eaten since the day before the wedding, so I hoped Kane would forgive me. His eyes showed no sign of judgment, only joy.

“I thought you might be hungry. The whole time you were passed out your stomach kept growling.”

“Oh God, t
hat’s embarrassing.” I put down my fork and made a conscious effort to slow down.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed with me. You know that.”

I nodded and swirled a strip of chicken in ketchup.

Kane looked up at me for a long moment and then cleared his throat.

“What is it?” I asked, looking up from my food and leaning forward across the table.

“There’s something I need
to tell you.” He admitted nervously.

“Just say it.” I tried to keep my tone casual. The churning in my stomach crashed over me. This is what I had been expecting for some
time now. He had to have realized we were in separate leagues by now. He had to be sick of saving me over and over again, not that I could blame him.

“Tristan, I’ve lived a long time and I’ve never met anyone quite like you. I knew there was something about you as soon as I bumped into you that day in the cafeteria
— something familiar.” He paused, gulped hard and searched for the right words. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I can’t picture spending the rest of my life with anyone other than you. I’m glad it was you that I bumped into.”

“I…I’m glad you bumped into me too.” I stuttered as I tried to figure out where this conversation was going.

“As far as soul mates go, I believe you’re mine.” He murmured.

“Even if I am just a weak human?” I asked.

“Flaws and all,” he joked. “I don’t see you as a weak human. When I look at you the only thing I see is a strong woman who loves unconditionally. I see my future when I look into your eyes.”

            I looked around the candle lit room misty-eyed, trying desperately not to turn in to a blubbering idiot in front of Kane.
The look on his face was one of pure joy, a look that I hadn’t seen since the night of the dance— before the Seekers burned my friend Faith at the stake.

“There’s something I need to tell you too.” I hesitated for a moment and then forced it out. “When Illyria had me in that house, she mentioned something to me.”

“What did she say?” His teeth clenched together.

“She said… that I was a time traveler.” I waited for his reaction.

“A time traveler, how is that possible? You don’t have any powers.”